Food For Thought: Obstacles

In honor of PostSecret Day, I went onto the site and picked one that really touched me. Many of the posts today about suicide prevention, but I wanted to talk about general hardship that leads to such dark thoughts.

I feel like at this point, I'm not quite sure where I'm at. These days, the only things that really get me stressed is when my problems involve people I care about. Letting go of friendships, opening my mind to new things, and listening to others' problems... these are all things that make me worry. Worrying is good-- to an extent. Those who do not worry at all face being reckless, which is equally as unappealing as being uptight. Life is all about the balance: Caring about people, about the world, without being destructive towards yourself. I used to find myself thinking so much about other people that I wouldn't deal with my own issues, and that's just as bad as not caring about anyone other than myself. And now, I just see everything as being not as terrible, because I know other people are dealing with much worse.

I'm lucky to still have yet to confront major obstacles, but for those of you who are struggling to get over something right now, know that you're not alone. Plato has this great quote: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle". It's hard to judge anyone when you know you're not seeing the whole picture; you don't completely know what's going on in someone else's life that makes them react the way they do. I do not often talk about religion because I believe it is a very personal and spiritual thing, but I will say this: If you do believe in anything, you probably have a reason to. You know that you are not alone because you feel a power, a force of the universe, all around you. The hardest person to please is yourself, and that force (whatever it may be to you). These are the only things that matter, in the end. And if you can find a way to get through the hardest of times, you will prove to yourself how strong you are. Life is difficult, but the point is: We always get through it, even when we believe that we can't. That constant surprising ourselves with our own potential is what we live for; it's what makes life worth living. Remember that.

<3 Linda